Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
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Crock Pot Beef and Noodles is classic Midwestern comfort food that sticks to your ribs. Rich and flavorful, this family favorite recipe is affordable and easy to prepare in the slow cooker!
Beef and noodles is old-fashioned Midwestern dish that’s stood the test of time! It’s a hearty meal that’s popular with the entire family, picky eaters included! Leftovers make a delicious lunch to take to work or school.
The best part? This recipe only requires 15 minutes of prep before the slow cooker works its magic. If you’re in a hurry, try making it in the Instapot in just 45 minutes. So let’s get started!
Ingredients
Today we’re making beef and noodles from scratch with no soup mixes, cheese or fillers. Here are the key ingredients you’ll need:
- Beef: A chuck roast is the classic cut, but you can also use eye of round, top round, sirloin tip, rump roast or another lean cut. Both boneless and bone-in will work.
- Broth: Low-sodium beef broth is ideal for controlling saltiness, and you can also use water if you don’t have any. If you use a no-sodium broth, add a pinch of salt to help tenderize the meat.
- Italian seasoning: I used Italian seasoning, but you can also use a mix of oregano and thyme.
- Worcestershire sauce: To build flavor, or substitute soy sauce.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic gives the best flavor, but garlic powder will also work.
- Onion: A minced yellow or white onion.
- Egg noodles: You want to use wide egg noodles here, and they can be dried, frozen or fresh so use what you can find. (Note: some egg noodles contain food coloring, so check the label.)
- Cream or cornstarch: To thicken the sauce into a gravy, you can use some heavy cream or a cornstarch-water mix.
Fresh mushrooms are an optional addition that makes this taste closer to beef stroganoff.
If you’re using frozen beef, the USDA recommends thawing it completely before use to avoid the risk of spoiling in the crock pot.
How to Make Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
This recipe is made from scratch without onion soup mix, cheese or fillers. You can add extra flavor by browning the meat in a skillet for a few minutes before slow cooking, but this step is optional.
Put the meat in the slow cooker along with the broth and seasonings. Cook for 6-7 hours on Low (recommended) or 4 hours on High until fork tender.
Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-size pieces, and then add the noodles to cook for 10-20 minutes until al dente. Note: this time will vary based on the noodles you’re using.
If you want to include sliced mushrooms or some green peas, add them to the slow cooker along with the noodles.
How Do You Thicken Beef and Noodles?
Once the noodles are al dente, the sauce may still seem watery. To make it into gravy, there are two options:
- Cream: Adding a ½ cup of heavy cream will thicken the sauce and make it silky and creamy. After adding it, let the sauce bubble in the crock pot on High for several minutes to thicken.
- Cornstarch slurry: This is a lower calorie option that works well. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water in a teacup. Stir into the crockpot and let it bubble on the High setting for up to 5 minutes.
Remember that the gravy will thicken even more as it cools, so I usually stop as soon as the sauce starts to coat the back of a spoon.
What to Serve with Beef and Noodles
You can serve slow cooker beef and noodles on its own as a one-pot meal. It also goes well with crusty bread or garlic bread to mop up extra gravy, or a side vegetable of broccoli or green peas.
Can I Use an Instant Pot?
Yes, and it only takes 45 minutes from start to finish. There are two modifications required: 1) you’ll need to slice the beef into 1 ½ inch pieces, and 2) cook the noodles separately on the stovetop.
Start by browning the beef in the Instant Pot on Sauté mode. Then add the broth and seasonings. Cover and set to Manual High pressure for 30 minutes followed by a natural release, which will take about 10 minutes.
During this time, cook your noodles according to the package directions. Drain and stir them into the beef. Thicken the same way with cream or the cornstarch slurry before serving.
More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes:
View all slow cooker recipes
Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound chuck roast, or similar cut (see note)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 cups beef broth, low-sodium recommended, or water
- 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce, or soy sauce
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound egg noodles, dried, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream, or 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water (optional)
Instructions
- Optional: Brown the roast. Place a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon canola oil and the beef. Fry for 1-2 minutes per side until slightly browned.
- Place the beef in the crock pot along with the broth, onion, garlic, Worchestershire sauce and Italian seasoning. Seal the lid and set to cook for 6-7 hours on Low or 4 hours on High, or until the meat is tender.
- Use two forks to shred the beef into bit-size pieces in the crock pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then add the noodles.
- Cover and set the crock pot to cook on High for 10-20 minutes until al dente (Note: the time will vary based on the noodles you're using).
- To thicken the sauce, stir in the cream or cornstarch slurry. Let it bubble for a few minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The gravy will thicken more as it cools. Serve warm.
Equipment
Notes
- Beef: Chuck roast is an ideal cut, but you can also use top round, eye of round, sirloin tip rump roast or even stewing beef (beef tips).
- Make Ahead: You can easily make this dish ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Instant Pot version: Follow the recipe above, using the Instapot in Sauté mode to brown the beef and a Manual High pressure cycle for 60 minutes with a natural release. Cook the noodles separately and add at the end.
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This was soooo good! Easy too!
So good! I plan on using your recipe many more times during a long winter ahead!
Thank you!
Hi Barb, Thanks so much and great to hear!
This has become a regular in our family. It’s so delicious. I like to dice up my mushrooms and I also add diced carrots. Once I’ve shredded the meat and added the egg noodles I cook an additional 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to get all the noodles down into the liquid. Otherwise, I end up with crunchy noodles.
Hi Ann, Thanks for your feedback and I love your customizations!
I make this often and never disappointed!
Hi Ashely, Thanks so much for your comment and delighted to hear that!
Excellent 😋
Strongly suggest making noodles separately. I made them in the crockpot as recipe suggests and it just turned them to mush.
Hi Jordan, Thanks for your comment. There is unfortunately variation in noodles, and some fare better than others in the crockpot.
Nice recipe! I cooked the noodles at the very end separately and added the beef on top and it was perfect! Added the 1/2 cup of heavy cream in the crock pot towards the end of cooking. Will use this recipe again, thanks!
Hi Katie, Thanks for your comment and glad you enjoyed!
Everybody loves this!!!! I had six people over for dinner. They raved about this. That so very much!!!!!!!!
Hi Susie, Wow what a compliment and congratulations! So happy to hear that.
This WOULD HAVE been an awesome meal if it weren’t for putting uncooked pasta in at the end. It turned into a gooey, sticky, starchy mess within minutes. I couldn’t eat it and we threw it out. I will try it again b/c before the mistake of adding the pasta the meat was DELICIOUS. Advice: NEVER put uncooked pasta in a crockpot with your meal. Cook pasta separately!!
Hi Christine, Thanks for your feedback and sorry to hear. Packaged noodles can vary, so if they are particularly slow to cook, then yes you should cook separately.
I’m planning on making this for tomorrow night.
Do the mushrooms go in the same time the onions go in?
Hi Lynn, Yes that’s correct – thanks for your question!
Any suggestions on how to make the recipe healthier and lower in fat? Looks amazing, just blown away by the nutrition for one serving. Anyone experiment with other lower fat protein options and ingredients?
Do I add the cornstarch at the end? Or in beginning
Hi Jenn, Thanks for your question. It should go in towards the end, as the cornstarch would break down during slow cooking.
I made this last night and it was absolutely amazing!!!!
Hi Kim, Great to hear and thanks for your comment!
My family called it a keeper. Easy & tasty
Everytime I make this all the juices dry out. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Courtney, Sorry to hear that. It could be the noodles you are using. Some brands may soak up more liquid. Try adding an extra 1/2 cup of liquid and see if that improves things. Good luck!
I was looking forward to this meal. I hope I can still salvage it.
I should never have cooked my roast for 4 hours on high like the recipe states. The meat was not done. I’m having to continue to cook it on low for another 4-5 hours. UGH!
Hi Lori, Thanks for your comment. The meat should *definitely* have been done after 4 hours on high. Perhaps you didn’t seal the lid, or the setting was incorrect, or your slow cooker isn’t working properly? I would understand if you had used the low setting, but high is quite powerful and will cook the meat thoroughly in 4 hours. Sorry it didn’t turn out.
I made this last night. Maybe not same ingredients but almost pretty good just a a little salty. Made a great leftover soup next day though 😊.
Hi Judy, Thanks for your comment and glad you enjoyed. If it was too salty, check that your noodles don’t contain salt, and try using salt-free broth as well. Hope you’ll try making it again soon!
I have not made this yet but question, could the beef roast be substituted for a small pork roast? What would you suggest for ingredients on that?
Hi Christina, Thanks for your comment. I haven’t made this particular recipe with pork, so cannot comment strictly speaking. Pork shoulder or pork butt would be the cuts to use, however. Good luck!
Made this tonight. Flavor was good. The only thing I would do differently next time is cook the noodles separately and add the in at the end. Mine wound up being overcooked by the time the gravy had thickened.
This is the first beef crockpot dish that both my husband and I liked! I was looking for a recipe with what I had in my kitchen and I didn’t have broth or any gravy packets and your recipe said I could use water and I’ve never tried that but it worked great! And I forgot the cream at the end but it was still really tasty. I added organic carrots cut in chunks along with the mushrooms after it was cooking an hour and the meal was delish! Thank you! This one is a keeper!
Hi Mary, Wow what a compliment – I am so honored to hear that. Many thanks and glad it was a success!
I just added my noodles, and it seems like way too much for the crockpot and they are not in the juice at the bottom. Is that a concern? Do they still get cooked even if they’re not in the broth??
I have this same concern!
This was just ok, timing was a bit off. Very thankful I checked on it at 5 hours on low or it would have been way overcooked. Cook the noodles separately, do not cook in the pot.
Made this yesterday and it was amazing!! I thought it would be bland because it was so simple but it was wonderful! The addition of the cream added a velvety texture that my family really enjoyed. Gave the dish a creamy, cheesy texture without cheese! Delicious! Having the leftovers tonight so we shall see how well it reheats.
Hi Lori, That’s amazing! Thanks for your comment and glad you enjoyed it!
This came out delish! Followed the recipe to a tee. Wish I would have went six instead of seven hours so the meat would have been a bit more tender… the cream worked perfect to thicken the gravy. Big fan of the simplicity of this recipe. Will try the browning & mushrooms next round.
Hi Sonja, So great to hear that and thanks for your comment! Mushrooms are a great addition too.